


A New Stage

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual Smut, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-09-07 07:09:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20305465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dorothea manages to pull enough strings to get herself into an Ivy League University and tries to find enough connections to keep herself from drowning.------Dorothea/Petra Slow Burn University AU with eventual smut. (Will change this text when I add the smut.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little to get myself started, since that's proving to be the most difficult part. I hope you all have fun and I'll see you at chapter two.

Everyone was watching her. Most of them weren’t doing it with their eyes, but with their peripheral vision, pretending to make conversation when really they were waiting for her to slip up, for her to make a single mistake and prove that she didn’t belong. Well, they would have to wait for a long time because Dorothea didn't make those kinds of mistakes. Soon she would have allies like a shield around her and only then could she let her guard down. 

For now, she made her way to the dorm that had been assigned to her. She had checked the maps online before she arrived to make sure she wouldn’t get lost, but now that she was there she hardly needed it. The Red Eagle building, though dramatically named, left no room for doubt, the red bricks with bone-white mortar rose three stories and to the left of the door there was an honest-to-god coat of arms bearing a black eagle. She had researched the name in case anyone asked her, but it had been a boring answer: black is the color of the school uniform. 

She plastered on her best smile, making sure it touched her eyes before she walked through the front door to have a small boy with white hair fall back into her. She grunted as she caught him, smelling the axe coming off of him as she pushed him back to his feet. 

“Well, hello to you too.” She said, having meant it to sound flirty but coming off nearly as annoyed as she felt.

“Caspar! You must apologizing!” A pink haired girl in a white shirt and a half-corseted dress called out. 

“Wow, sorry about that!” The boy said, turning to her and having the grace to look quite ashamed. “I was trying to show Petra some moves and I got carried away.” Dorothea glanced at the girl in the common room who must be Petra and understood deeply how he could have gotten carried away trying to impress her. 

“That’s okay,” She said, smiling with genuine warmth. “You’ll just have to help me move some boxes to make up for it.”

“Aw man,” Caspar said. “Okay, it’s the least I can do.” He looked at her and then behind her. “Where are the boxes?”

“Just outside, there’s actually only one.” Dorothea replied, surprised that he accepted. 

“Got it!” Caspar said, exiting the door behind her leaving Dorothea alone with Petra, who sighed and shook her head.

“He is very energetic, I am apologize.”

“That’s okay.” Dorothea said, smiling. “Do you live in this dorm?”

“Yes!” Petra said. “On the third floor.” Dorothea swore internally.

“I’m on the second.”

“Aw, I am sad to be hearing that.” Petra said, looking as if she meant it. Dorothea smiled and was about to try some charm when Caspar opened the door with his foot, her box in his arms. 

“Alright, I’m ready to go!” He shouted and Dorothea sighed. “What?”

“Nothing, come on it’s on the second floor.”

“Hey! That’s where I live!” He said and Dorothea fought back a grimace. 

“Wonderful.” She said and she caught Petra trying not to smile at that. Dorothea made a pained face at her and Petra laughed.

“What’s funny?” Caspar asked.

“You’re just really eager to carry that box.” Dorothea lied and Caspar huffed. 

“This is nothing, I wish you had more boxes!” 

Dorothea took the lead, realizing that if she didn’t start this would continue on forever. She waved at Petra and led Caspar upstairs to room 204. She unlocked the door and opened it to find her room far larger than anything she was accustomed to. Even her dressing room on Broadway wasn’t as glamorous as this. She really did strike it big by getting into this university. 

“Hey miss,” Caspar said and Dorothea huffed a laugh as she turned to him.

“I’m Dorothea.”

“Oh, uh Dorothea, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for bumping into you earlier.”

“It’s really not a big deal.” Dorothea said, smiling warmly. She really was starting to like this boy. The only problem was that he was just like her. He didn’t smell like money and that was a great thing, but it meant they could only be friends. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? I could use more friends around here. Currently my total is… zero.”

“Well, then you've got one now!” Caspar said and when Dorothea laughed he grinned. “Yeah, that sounded better in my head.” 

“Go on,” She nodded to the door. “I have things to unpack and you have a cute girl to talk to.”

“Man, she really is cute, isn’t she?” He asked, getting a dreamy look on his face. “She says she’s the princess of her home country? Hey, Dorothea… This may be way off base, but do you like girls?”

“Wow,” Dorothea said, her eyes wide as she lost the affectation of eloquence. “You really called that off the bat.”

“Well, it was something about the way you called her a cute girl. It wasn’t an observation, more like…”

“A yearning?” Dorothea suggested, instantly regretting it as Caspar’s eyes rose and then wiggled conspiratorially. 

“Oh you yearn?”

“You cannot tell her!” Dorothea said and Caspar smirked. 

“Tell her what, that you yearn?” 

“Who yearns?” A white haired girl asked as she stepped into the doorframe, making Caspar and Dorothea both jump. 

“Sorry, you misheard me Edelgard, I was talking about yarn.” He said, laughing and glancing to Dorothea. “She loves to knit.”

“Oh, as do I. It is crucial to have hobbies between studies to really maximize productivity.” Edelgard said and Caspar sneaked past her as cleanly as a hippo exiting a slumber party. “I am Edelgard von Hresvelg and I believe you are Dorothea Arnault?” Dorothea panicked at being named and caught off-guard. Rapidly she tried to place the girl’s name. She had heard it in the context of the news since they owned the largest bank in the country, but nearer than that.

“Ah, are you related to Victor von Hresvelg?”

“My brother,” Edelgard said, her eyebrows shooting up in shock. 

“I remember he was very excited to see me in Les Miserables. I signed a headshot for him.”

“Ah,” Edelgard smiled as if she had finally solved a puzzle. “I knew that your name was familiar, you played Eponine, is that so?”

“I did.” Dorothea smiled. 

“I was with him during that show, truly a stunning performance.”

“You are too kind.” Dorothea said. 

“Well, I only came to welcome you and let you know that I will be your house leader for the year so if there is anything you need at all feel free to let me know.”

“Oh, of course.” Dorothea said. “Thank you, Edelgard.” Dorothea said and Edelgard gave her a smile and stepped out of the door. Dorothea waited several moments to close it and lay back on her bed. There was so much more to do, so much more schmoozing and she wanted to find out more about Petra but soon her eyes were closing and she couldn’t help but drift to sleep dreaming of knitting and yearning for pretty girls.


	2. Floor Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorothea has four conversations on floor two that give her a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry the update took so long, life has been life. Enjoy.

Dorothea stared out of the window after her first day of studies. She had done her best to be attentive without seeming too eager, funny without seeming disruptive, and charming without seeming like she had any desire to be. It was exhausting. She was familiar to performance, both on stage and off, but even so the stakes were far higher here. She needed to keep up appearances all the way back to her dorm and then all the way to her room. It was only behind the locked door that she felt any kind of peace.

Three heavy knocks sounded and she grimaced, schooling her face into polite interest as she rose from her desk and moved to open the door. When she saw it was Caspar she relaxed. “Oh, it’s only you.”

“Excuse me!” Caspar said, his mock offense balanced with the bemused expression. 

“Come in,” She said, stepping aside and he paused and then stepped forward as she closed the door behind him. He rubbed the back of his head, looking suddenly very uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh, I don’t think we’re supposed to be… in each other’s rooms with the door closed.”

“Oh, I can open it if-”

“No, no,” Caspar waved a hand, laughing. “It’s not like we’re going to be caught doing anything bad. If anything, Edelgard will just give a very stern look and tell us it’s not allowed.” He grinned. “Better to ask permission right?”

“You’re really…” She paused and laughed. “I just like you is all.”

“Oh no, was I wrong about us doing something bad?” Caspar asked and Dorothea rolled her eyes.

“Like a brother!”

“Oh, well that’s not so-”

“A little brother, actually.” She said and he narrowed his eyes.

“Hey! I could be a big brother no problem, little sis!” He paused, considering. “Actually that sounds bad, I’ll be the younger one.” Dorothea laughed an actual, easy laugh and Caspar smiled. “Hey, I actually came to ask if you were okay.”

“Yeah, I’m doing fine,” She said, frowning. “Why were you worried?”

“Well, you just act differently everywhere else and I thought maybe it was because you were having a bad day or something.” 

“No, it’s…” Dorothea paused, considering how best to express something she wasn’t sure she wanted to express at all. At least not yet; Caspar was a really nice boy, but she didn’t really think he’d be great at keeping secrets and just now she couldn’t afford people knowing more about her than she wanted.

“Don’t sweat it.” Caspar said and Dorothea frowned again.

“Why not?”

“Well, so long as you say you’re okay, I trust you! It’s not my business, especially if you’re not comfortable telling me.” He gave a wave. “I’m going to head out, okay? Just let me know if you ever need to chat.”

“I’ll do that.” Dorothea said, surprised to find that she meant it. Caspar opened the door and was a few steps away when Dorothea heard Petra’s voice.

“Is that Dorothea’s room?” Petra asked and Caspar’s steps came faster.

“Sorry, super busy!” He said from farther away now and Dorothea groaned, schooling her face into the pleasant mask as Petra arrived at her door looking somehow more beautiful despite the fact that she hadn’t changed anything about herself since the last time she saw her.  _ I’m in deep, _ Dorothea cringed at herself internally.

“Hello, Dorothea! I’m pleasing to be seeing you!” Petra smiled and Dorothea smiled back, dreading the questions the beautiful girl might ask. 

“I’m happy to see you too, Petra.” Dorothea said. “Come in?”

“Of course,” Petra said, stepping inside and filling the room with the scent of musky vanilla perfume, which made the broadway star struggle against swooning. “Dorothea, was Caspar bothering you?” It wasn’t the question she expected.

“Oh, no not at all he just wanted to say hello.” She said, feeling how weak the truth sounded as it came from her mouth. “He’s a nice boy.”

“He is a nice boy,” Petra agreed. “I am apologizing, but are you two in romance?”

“Oh!” Dorothea said, startled to return to the question she thought she’d evaded. “No,” She laughed softly. “He’s not my type. If anything he’s more of a little brother figure to me.”

“I see,” Petra smiled. “He is the same to me. Are you not interesting in men?”

“I…” Dorothea paused. Her first answer was to say that she was, but that was a bad use of the opportunity. She smiled her learned smile, “I’m interested in anyone interesting, girls, boys, people beyond the binary.” She realized too late that non-binary might be a step into the language barrier but Petra nodded knowingly.

“I am the same!” She said with a grin. “You and I have much in common!”

“We do!” Dorothea agreed, mentally filing away just how easy it was to get lost in Petra’s forthcoming nature and the way her entire face lit up when she smiled. “Maybe we can talk about it over dinner?”

“Tonight?” Petra asked.

“Sure,” Dorothea replied easily and Petra grinned. 

“I will be getting ready and will be seeing you in an hour!” Petra said, turning and walking out of the room. Dorothea poked her head out to make sure she had ascended the staircase and when she stepped out of the room she was face to face with Edelgard herself. 

“Dorothea, a quick word?” She asked and Dorothea swallowed.

“You startled me! Of course, what can I help you with?”

“Sorry to startle you, I just wanted to remind you that university policy is to keep your door open at all times when you have a guest.” Dorothea glanced over Edelgard’s shoulder and saw Caspar step out of his room, see her and theatrically dart back inside. 

“Even if we’re the same gender?” Dorothea asked. “Just for my own curiosity.”

“Well,” Edelgard paused. “You see, my stance on this differs from the university.” Dorothea’s eyebrows went up as she watched Edelgard wrestle with being honest. “The university doesn’t have a code specifically for same gender students, but…” She glanced down the hallway and back to Dorothea. “You’re from broadway and I expect you to have experience with the queer community?”

“Uh,” Dorothea swallowed, completely taken aback and unable to keep it from her face. “Yes, you could say so.”

“Then I’m going to take a risk since you’re of my house,” Edelgard said, taking a deep breath and making Dorothea wonder exactly where she was raised to speak like a character from one of her musicals. “I’m bisexual, which isn’t common knowledge, but being that I am, I considered the policy and I’m happy to let it work in our favor. But I also believe that University should be a time to experiment and build relationships and alliances, therefore so long as you are discrete I won’t ever bring you to task for having someone in your room while it’s closed no matter their gender. Though, I would advise it to be during the night time.” 

“Oh, uh… Of course.” Dorothea said, trying to find some space to recover before taking a deep breath and nodding. “Thank you for your grace and placing your trust in me, I will do my best to see that it is well placed.”

“Thank you,” Edelgard said, nodding and straightening. “As you were.” She said as she walked downstairs. Dorothea waited a few more seconds watching her pass before she quickly walked down the room to Caspar’s, knocking once before he pulled the door open. 

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah?” Caspar said as she stepped inside. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, Edelgard talks like she’s in a period piece or making a speech on the floor of parliament, but that’s really just what happened in the last three minutes.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“No, she…” Dorothea considered sharing more details and then realized discretion was the keyword here and she had kept Caspar in the dark for similar reasons. Maybe she’d let Edelgard decide on her own time whether Caspar was discrete enough. “I’m not in trouble with her, but I need your help with Petra.”

“Wow, okay!” Caspar said, straightening. “I’m in, what do you need?” Dorothea smiled. She’d chosen a great ally.

“She and I are going to dinner in an hour and I don’t know if it’s a date or not.”

“Oh!” Caspar said. “Well…” He rubbed his chin. “The problem is the language barrier, even if you told me exactly what she said I’m not sure we’d be able to work out what she meant exactly.”

“Right,” Dorothea said, surprised at the insight. 

“So… Maybe treat it like a date and if it turns out not to be, chalk it up to the language barrier?”

“That’s…” Dorothea sighed. It wasn’t great advice. Or rather, it wasn’t what she wanted to hear in that it didn’t make things any easier. “Probably the right call.”

“Wear your sexiest clothes, your best perfume, and if she compliments you on anything physical, return the compliment and just try to show that you’re interested.”

“Wait, you know I’m interested?”

“Everyone’s interested in Petra,” Caspar shrugged.

“Even you?” Dorothea asked and paused, frowning. “Wait, do you have a crush on her? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to-”

“No,” Caspar waved a hand. “I mean I do have a crush on her, but I don’t expect it to go anywhere. We have family history and yata yata it’s just no problem if you two end up dating, long story short.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure!” Caspar said. “Go take a shower and get ready, you don’t have a ton of time!”

“Right!” Dorothea said, standing straighter. “Thanks, Caspar.” She said as she hurried back to her room to get her shower things. Well, she had a date. Whether it was real or not was yet to be decided, but the night had just gotten far more interesting.


End file.
